Circular piston engine



Sept. 28, 1965 E. FEZER ETAL CIRCULAR PISTON ENGINE Filed Jan. 14, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 n S & w

6 T R 7/ a E a g i M LL Eberhard Fezer Fritz Frese Erwin J J Qshar' Simon Christian \sfhmili Har-ro El'nbeck Sept. 28, 1965 FEZER ETAL 3,208,666

CIRCULAR PISTON ENGINE Filed Jan. 14, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 & Q

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p 23, 1965 E. FEZER ETAL 3,208,666

CIRCULAR PISTON ENGINE Filed Jan. 14, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,208,666 CIRCULAR PISTON ENGINE Eberhard Fezer, Essen-Bredeney, Fritz Frese, Bochum,

Erwin Hejj, Essen-Borbeck, Oskar Simon, Essen, Christian Schmid, Essen-Bredeney, and Harro Einbeck, Essen, Germany, assignors to Beteiligungsund Patentverwaltungsgesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung,

Essen, Germany Filed Jan. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 252,269 10 Claims. (Cl. 230-145) The present invention relates to a circular piston engine with a rotor guided in a housing. This rotor has inner gear teeth rolling on the outer teeth of a pinion. The circular piston engine is furthermore provided with an eccentric shaft extending through said pinion and having the rotor rotatably journalled on the eccentric of said eccentric .shaft.

With hereotfore known circular piston engines of the above mentioned type, the pinion is fixedely connected to the housing. Due to the given eccentricity, the pitch diameter of the pinion and of the inner teeth of the rotor is fixed. The maximum possible diameter of the bore of the pinion through which the eccentric shaft extends is only sulficient to dimension the eccentric shaft for a gasoline engine so as to properly take care of the stresses to which such circular shaft is subjected. With heretofore known circular piston engines of the above mentioned type, it is, however, not possible to dimension the eccentric shift so that it will be able to withstand the high forces encountered in connection with Diesel engines, with the result that circular piston engines of the above mentioned type could not be used for Diesel engines.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a circular piston engine which will overcome the above mentioned drawback and will permit to employ the circular piston engine principle for Diesel engines.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide circular piston engines as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which may also be designed as multi-cell engines.

7 These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a section through a one-cell circular piston engine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a slight modification over FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through a multi-cell circular piston engine accord-ing to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line IV--IV of each of the FIGURES 1, 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates means for eliminating backlash in an arrangement according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a view of FIG. 5 as seen in the direction of the arrow VI.

General arrangement In order to realize the object of the present invention, namely to create the possibility of employing the circular piston engine principle also for Diesel engines, according to the present invention the pinion which, as mentioned above, was heretofore fixedly connected to the housing, has in conformity with the present invention been connected to a hollow shaft mounted on the eccentric shaft, while said hollow shaft is drivingly connected with the eccentric shaft through a transmission arranged on the outside of the housing. In this way, the transmission ratio between rotor and eccentric shaft is so to speak subdivided, and the diameter of the eccentric shaft can be increased beyond the dimensions heretofore possible and permissible.

3,208,666 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 The present invention is equally well applicable to single and multiple cell circular piston engines. In conformity with a further development of the invention, at least one of the inner or outer tooth systems or one of the gears of the transmission may be composed of two axially separated sections adjustable relative to each other for eliminating backlash.

Structural arrangement Referring now to the drawings in detail and FIGS. 1 and 4 thereof in particular, the circular piston engine shown therein comp-rises a housing 1 having axially guided therein a rotor 2 which together with the housing confines combustion cambers 3. These chambers are sealed at the housing wall by sealing strips 4 and sealing rings 5.

As will be evident from the drawing, the rotor 2 is pro vided with inner teeth 6 adapted in meshing engagement with corresponding teeth of a pinion 7 to roll on the latter. Pinion 7 is keyed to a hollow shaft 8 which is rotatably journalled in the housing 1 and extends from the interior of the housing 1 toward the outside. Hollow shaft 8 has furthermore keyed thereto a pinion which meshes with a pinion 11a of a double gear'generally designated 11 and comprising a second gear 11b. The double gear 11 is rotatably journalled on a shaft 10 supported by housing 1. Gear 11b meshes with a pinion 16 which is keyed to the eccentric shaft 12. One side of the eccentric shaft 12 is journalled in hollow shaft 8, whereas the other side of the eccentric shaft 12 is journalled in the housing portion 1a. The eccentric of the eccentric shaft 12 is designated with the reference numeral 14 and has rotatably journalled thereon the rotor 2.

Assuming that the engine illustrated in FIG. 1 is an internal combustion engine, the operation is as follows. Due to the explosions occurring in the combustion chambers con-fined by housing 1 and rotor 2, the latter will be rotated relative to the eccentric 14. As a result of a driving connection between rotor 2 and eccentric 14 through the gear ring 6, pinion 7, hollow shaft 8, pinion 9, double gear 11, pinion 1'3, eccentric shaft .12 the transmission ratio between rotor 2 and eccentric 14 is unchangeable. If the engine shown in FIG. 1 represents a compressor, the drive will, of course, be in the opposite direction starting from shaft 12 and resulting in a rotation of the-rotor 2.

The arrangement of FIG. 2 differs from that of FIG. 1 in that the double gear unit 11a, 11b has been replaced by two gears 11', 11" keyed to a shaft 10. Furthermore, hollow shaft 8 of FIG. 1 with gears 7 and 9 keyed thereto has been replaced according to FIG. 2 by a double gear unit 7', 9.

Referring now to FIG. 3 illustrating a multi-cell circular piston engine according to the present invention, it will be seen that each rotor 2, 16 carries two inner tooth systems 6, 17 and 18, 19 respectively. The second inner tooth system 17, 19 meshes with the rolls on the teeth of pinion 20 and 21 respectively of a further hollow shaft 15 and 22 respectively. These last mentioned hollow shafts establish the driving connection of the rotors with the adjacent cells. The eccentrics 14, 23 of the rotors are connected to a common eccentric shaft 12.

As will be seen from FIG. 3, the two shaft portions at opposite sides of and directly adjacent to the eccentric 14 are journalled in hollow shafts 8 and 15 respectively whereas the right-hand portion of the eccentric shaft (with regard to FIG. 3) which is adjacent to the eccentric 23, is journalled in hollow shaft 22.

The operation of the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 fully corresponds to that described in connection with FIG. 1.

In order to avoid backlash in the gear system of the present invention, an arrangement as shown for instance in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be employed. According to this arrangement, for instance gear 11b of FIG.- 1 may be replaced by a gear 110 which is composed of a gear part 25a and a gear part 2512 the latter being adjustable about shaft relative to part 25a. Parts 25a and 25b are held in their respective adjusted position by bolts 27 and .nuts 28, said bolts extending through oblong holes 26 in part 25b.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular constructions and purposes referred toabove but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A circular piston machine, which comprises: a housing, a rotatable shaft rotatably supported by said housing, said shaft being provided with an eccentric within said housing, a rotor rotatably arranged on said eccentric and together with said housing confining working chambers, first gear means connected to said rotor, second gear means connected to said rotatable shaft, a first group of rotatably interconnected gears having one gear supported by said rotatable shaft and rotatable relative thereto, said one gear being in mesh with said first gear means, and a second group of rotatably interconnected gears having one gear in mesh with said second gear means, two other gears respectively pertaining to said two groups being drivingly connected to each other.

2. A circular piston machine, which comprises: a housing, a rotatable shaft rotatably supported by said housing and having an eccentric, a rotor rotatably supported by said eccentric and rotatable relative to said housing, said rotor having inner teeth connected thereto, pinion means connected'to said rotatable shaft, and transmission means drivingly interconnecting said inner teeth and said pinion means, said transmission means including a pair of first coaxially arranged and rotatably interconnected gears supported by and rotatable relative to said rotatable shaft, said transmission means also including a pair of second coaxially arranged and rotatably interconnected gears rotatably supported by said housing and having the axis of rotation thereof parallel and in spaced relationship to the axis of said rotatable shaft, one gear of said second pair of gears meshing with said pinion means and the other gear of said second pair of gears meshing with one gear of said first pair of gears while the other gear of said first pair of gears meshes with said inner teeth.

3. A circular piston machine, which comprises: a housing, a rotatable main shaft supported by said housing and having an eccentric, a rotor rotatably supported by said eccentric and rotatable relative to said housing, transmission means interposed between and drivingly interconnecting said rotor and said main shaft, and a hollow shaft forming a part of said transmission means and being sup ported by said main shaft and rotatable relative thereto, said transmission means including first gear means connected to said rotor and also second gear means connected to said hollow shaft, said first and second gear means being in mesh and in rolling engagement with each other, said transmission means furthermore including third gear means connected to said hollow shaft for rotation therewith and also including fourth gear means drivingly connected to said third gear means and said main shaft.

4. A circular piston machine according to claim 1, in which said first gear means is a gear ring, and in which said one gear in mesh with said first gear means is a pinion having an outer diameter considerably less than the inner diameter of said gear ring.

5. A circular piston machine according to claim 3, in which said third gear means is arranged outside of and supported by said housing.

6. A circular piston machine according to claim 3, in which said second gear means includes one gear arranged within said housing, and in which said third gear means includes a gear located outside said housing and connected to said one gear for rotation therewith.

7. A circular piston machine according to claim 3, in which said hollow shaft is interposed between and journalled on said main shaft and said housing.

8. A circular piston machine, which comprises: a housing, a main shaft rotatably Supported by said housing and having a plurality of eccentrics spaced from each other in axial direction of said main shaft, a plurality of rotors respectively rotatably supported by said eccentrics and rotatable relative to said housing, transmission means said transmission means also including additional gear means common to all of said rotors and comprising third gear means drivingly connected to one of said hollow shaft sections, said additional gear means also comprising fourth gear means drivingly connected to said main shaft. 9. A circular piston machine according to claim 8, in which said third gear means is connected to one of the outermost hollow shaft sections.

. 10. A circular piston machine according to claim 1,

' in which at least one of said two groups of gears includes a gear having two axially separated parts adjustable relative to each other for eliminating backlash.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,947,290 -8/60 Froede 1238 2,988,065 6/61 Wankel et al. 123--8 3,007,460 11/61 Bentele et al 1238 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,319,189 1/63 France.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH H. BRANSON, ]R., KARL I. ALBRECHT,

. Examiners. 

1. A CIRCULAR PISTON MACHINE, WHICH COMPRISES: A HOUSING, A ROTATABLE SHAFT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID HOUSING, SAID SHAFT BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ECCENTRIC WITHIN SAID HOUSING, A ROTOR ROTATABLY ARRANGED ON SAID ECCENTRIC AND TOGETHER WITH SAID HOUSING CONFINING WORKING CHAMBERS, FIRST GEAR MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ROTOR, SECOND GEAR MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ROTATABLE SHAFT, A FIRST GROUP OF ROTATABLY INTERCONNECTED GEARS HAVING ONE GEAR SUPPORTED BY SAID ROTATABLE SHAFT AND ROTATABLE RELATIVE THERETO, SAID ONE GEAR BEING IN MESH WITH SAID FIRST GEAR MEANS, AND A SECOND GROUP OF ROTATABLY INTERCONNECTED GEARS HAVING ONE GEAR IN MESH WITH SAID SECOND GEAR MEANS, TWO OTHER GEARS RESPECTIVELY PERTAINING TO SAID TWO GROUPS BEING DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER. 